I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicles for collecting, packing, hauling, and unloading refuse materials which may include recyclable materials.. More particularly, the invention is directed to refuse collection systems which incorporate integral side-loading lift and dump bucket systems which cooperate with corresponding offset or recessed receiving hoppers having packing devices to load refuse materials into truck bodies. The truck body and loading system including the hopper may be divided into a plurality of separate dedicated compartments to segregate materials during loading and maintain separation after compaction. The side-loading system includes one or more single or multi-compartment manually-loaded buckets and may also be provided with an automated extensible arm system for addressing and tipping other curbside containers.
II. Related Art
The business of collecting, hauling, and disposing of waste materials is rapidly becoming increasingly complex. The materials of collection, in addition to normal refuse disposable at landfills, may further contain a variety of types of materials destined for recycle. It is preferable that materials collected for recycle be at least separated from other refuse if not further broken down into individual recycle species at the point of collection. Of course, generally the complete breakdown into separate species is not practical, but it is desirable that at least highly compactable materials (for example, aluminum, plastic, and paper) be separated from glass at this juncture.
Furthermore, the types of containers in which materials are placed at the points of collection are many and varied. This, of course, has led to the development of a variety of dedicated accessing, lifting and dumping devices to be carried by collection vehicles.
It is known to provide a dedicated rail or track or similar guide or mounting system on the side of a refuse vehicle in combination with a dedicated container which can be filled in a lowered position and thereafter lifted and dumped using a dedicated lift and dump mechanism and operating along the guide system. Side-loading mechanisms of this type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,910,434 and 4,090,626 to Ebeling et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,333 to Ebeling; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,710 to Kovats. A vertical rail assembly having a bin-gripping carriage apparatus for engaging, lifting and dumping a refuse container is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,786 to Bingman.
Multi-compartment systems which include dedicated multi-compartment collection receptacles which operate using guided mechanized lift and dump systems to lift and empty them into corresponding multi-compartment hoppers and haulers have also been described. One such system that includes a vertically moving external lifting and dumping trough having a series of compartments which correspond to internal truck body divisions is shown in Dinneen (U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,531). The internal compartments are discharged by tilting the truck body relative to the chaise. In Seader (U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,271), a pair of pivoting buckets on each side empty into larger containers mounted on the chassis of the truck forward of a rear-loading refuse body. Mezey (U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,563) discloses multi-compartment container/hopper systems for front and side-loading trucks.
A further side-loading multi-compartment system is depicted by Ratledge, Jr., et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,496. Other divided side bucket-loaded multi-compartment refuse truck bodies are illustrated and described by Horning et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,196 and 5,316,430 and by Glomski in U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,025. Buckets may be provided on both sides of these devices and may be recessed. Howells et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,070) discloses a single sided divided bucket which loads compartments forward of a rear-loading refuse body mounted on an elongated frame.
While each of these systems has certain desirable attributes, all of these devices have shortcomings or limitations overcome by one or more aspects of the embodiments of the present invention, which contemplates an improved lift and dump guide systems for side bucket loaders in combination with offset or recessed hoppers in singular multi-compartment versions. Additionally, boom-mounted container emptying devices may be combined with the bucket system. The truck bodies may be permanently mounted or removable/detachable units. These ends are achieved with a general simplification of the prior mechanical complexity of such systems and introduce improvements which facilitate efficient operation.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved side-loading refuse vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved multi-compartment side-loading refuse vehicle.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved bucket lifting and dumping mechanism for a single or multi-compartment side-loading refuse vehicle.
Still another object of the invention is to provide improved side-loading refuse vehicles having bucket lifting and dumping mechanisms which reduce spillage commonly associated with bucket lift and dump mechanisms.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide an improved side-loading refuse vehicle having single or multi-compartment mechanized lift and dump buckets on both sides of a receiving hopper.
A further object of the invention is provide an improved side-loading refuse vehicle which has a refuse hopper recessed to correspond with the longitudinal chassis support beams of the vehicle.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved side-loading refuse vehicle in which an extensible boom container lift and dump mechanism is combined with one or more side-loading bucket lift and dump systems in a single or multi-compartment system.
A yet still further object of the invention is to provide a multi-compartment refuse hopper which avoids the build-up of refuse materials behind associated compartmentalized compaction devices.
The present invention provides improved side-loading refuse collecting vehicles of the class having a generally vertically operating, manually loaded bucket system in conjunction with a complimentary compensating offset receiving and charging hopper. The charging hopper is associated with a truck body having forward and aft ends and mounted on a truck frame extending longitudinally along the truck body, the truck body enclosing a material receiving volume. The truck support frame or chassis typically is constructed using a pair of spaced cross based main longitudinal channels or stringer members and the offset receiving hopper of the invention may be recessed as far as the adjacent chassis channel member to accommodate a wider charging bucket.
The bucket system includes an improved lift and dump mechanism and an elongate guide channel system which includes the pair of initially outward extending and finally arcuate guide paths which accommodate with offset follower members attached to each side of the bucket which cooperate to maintain an upright bucket posture in the loading position and provide additional inversion angle in the arc when the bucket is fully raised in the discharge position. The guides are preferably recessed channels and in the general shape of candy canes. The buckets are designed for manual loading. In conjunction with the outward directed channel guide systems, the hopper is preferably flared at the top to reduce the possibility of material spillage or loss in dumping. In addition, the buckets of the system may themselves be provided with can handling devices. In addition, each of the several embodiments of the refuse truck of the invention may be used in combination with a removable material receiving truck body. These, of course, may take any of several forms.
The refuse collection system may further include an automated extensible boom arm with an associated container lift and dump mechanism which may include an operable grabber system in addition to the bucket system. The extensible arm may include a system that adjusts the position of the grabber mechanism along the arm to allow dumping at diverse fore and aft locations in the charging hopper. Adjustable grabbers are typically associated with multi-compartment systems.
The refuse collection vehicles may take the form of any of a number of embodiments. These include one having a single side bucket of one compartment associated with a truck body having a single material receiving volume in which a single material receiving volume and packer are provided in the receiving hopper. A single divided bucket may be located on one side of the vehicle and used to charge a front to rear split compartment receiving hopper which, in turn, charges a truck body having a split material receiving volume using dual packing devices which may operate together. Of course, a system employing either a single bin or split bin bucket loading system may also be combined with an automated extensible boom arm lift and dump mechanism for automated dumping of refuse cans. The split is typically fore and aft with the forward bucket and hopper compartment associated with a lower truck body material receiving volume and the aft or rear bucket and hopper compartment associated with the upper truck body material receiving volume. In this regard, the grabber positioning mechanism is used in conjunction with the extensible boom arm lift and dump mechanism to allow cans to be loaded into either forward or aft compartments of the charging hopper.
A plurality of both single and multiple compartmented manually loaded buckets can be used alone or in conjunction with an automated fixed or adjustable position extensible boom arm and grabber systems. Single or multi-compartment buckets may be symmetrically or asymmetrically placed on both sides of the charging hopper with commensurate recesses being provided in the hopper to accommodate each bucket.
In addition, means are provided to prevent accumulation of refuse material trapped behind packing devices. In this regard, a hinged door may be provided in the front wall associated with the upper compartment behind the compactor which allows the material accumulated behind the packer to escape into the lower compartment upon retraction of the packer.
Thus, the present invention represents a variety of improvements in a class of side-loading refuse vehicles which can take the form in any of a great variety of embodiments. The detailed embodiments are taken as representative or exemplary of those in which the improvements of the invention may be incorporated and are not presented as being limiting in any manner.